Company Info

Primal Gear Unlimited LLC Go Primal!

Primal Gear Unlimited LLC was started by Jeff and Heather Barber in July 2012.

In 2007 Jeff changed jobs and the Barbers had to move to a suburban area from the country. Having a hobby of target shooting for a long time, Jeff found out he could not just step out the back door and target shoot like he had done in the country. Still looking for a way to pursue his hobby, he remembered having a bow as a child, which actually had been the very thing that had gotten him interested in target shooting.

He decided to take up archery so he could still step out the back door and target shoot. When he saw the high cost of wood long bows, and recurve takedown bows, he decided to look into other avenues. As target shooting was not just a hobby it was also a sport he found to be very relaxing, Jeff was determined to find a way to shoot. Jeff has worked in retail sales for the last 14 years, and the time required by his job leaves little time to pursue other interests, he talked to his supportive wife Heather about it and she suggested Jeff look into building a bow.

Heather, reminded Jeff that although he had been in retail sales for 14 years, with his background in various types of construction, that he not only had the ability, but the tools as well. So before long Jeff had built his first red oak bow. It performed as well as expected for a long bow, but whenever going anywhere other than the back yard it was inconvenient to carry due to it’s length.

Once again, Jeff was looking for an answer to a problem; how to conveniently carry a bow. He began researching, and looked at several possibilities. Looking at compound bows, he decided the initial cost along with the cost associated with re-stringing, and other upkeep on a compound bow, that he would consider a takedown recurve bow. He knew he would be able to carry it anywhere, and it would serve his purpose.

Jeff was about to purchase one when Heather asked a question she always asks, “Can you build one?” Back to research, and looking at the process of laminating the layers of fiberglass and wood, fixing the limb locking mechanism, and all of the materials and the form one would need to accomplish the task, the answer was, “Yes I can build it, but not economically.” Just as Jeff was about to make the purchase, Heather asked, “If we were in an emergency situation and you lost parts when it was in takedown mode, or they were damaged, how easy would it be to fix, or find replacement parts?” Jeff answered that you could keep it in a carrying case for transportation and to keep the parts from getting lost, so they looked at carrying cases for takedown recurve bows. Not only did it seem to be an additional expense, but it also suddenly made what seemed like a compact takedown bow bulkier and less convenient to carry.

Jeff went back to the drawing board, and came up with an idea, that would not only be fairly easy to fashion replacement parts for, but made the bow easy to carry like a recurve takedown bow, but in a much smaller package, but still the problem was that it was not that quick to assemble, and broke down into multiple pieces. In trying to solve the issue, he came up with a design, that allowed the bow to be carried in one compact unit with the riser acting as a sheath encasing the limbs for protection, and easy assembly, using items that any outdoor enthusiast would usually have with them, hunters might have with them, and survivalists would definitely have with them, that could be used as replacements for the limbs if they were to break, and the riser made in such a way that losing it would be the only possible disaster that could befall it. They decided to look into having the riser manufactured and discovered that the design, as simple as it seemed, would be tough to machine, and most poured materials, would not stand up to the pressure from the limbs when in use, or be too heavy to be functional. The cost to produce the prototype was too expensive.

Jeff went back to the drawing board, keeping simplicity of design, manufacture, use, and dependability in mind, and came up with a new concept. Keeping all of the possible issues in mind. The only issue he couldn’t get past with the new design, was how to easily fix or replace the limbs in the event he was in an unpredicted survival situation, so as an alternative, he found the toughest limb material he could find, created the prototype in his back yard and tested it by firing it over one thousand times, before he quit counting, and assembling and taking down the bow many many times. Jeff even had a few limbs that were slightly damaged when he was experimenting with fashioning them, and he used those on a second improved prototype he made, and put them through the same rigorous exercises, and they held up, with only slightly decreased performance. He carried it with him many places to make sure that it was not only convenient to carry, but tough enough to stand up to being knocked over, tossed around, having items thrown on top of it, and many other abuses an item can face in traveling. He had a winner.

Finally a bow that is a takedown that rivals the strength of a takedown recurve bow, but stays in one piece, that will hold up to the rigors of outdoor adventure. If you are looking for an alternative to a firearm with less complexity than a compound bow, that is a one piece takedown bow, then this one is the bow for you. If you want a way to defend yourself and hunt in the event you find yourself in a survival situation due to a catastrophic event, that will fit conveniently in any bug out bag, that is light weight and durable, or if you are an avid bow hunter that wants a great back up bow that is compact and easy to carry then the Compact Folding Survival Bow is the answer. You may even find yourself bow hunting with this bow as your primary hunting bow if you are looking for a challenge of hunting in a more traditional fashion.

It is very important to us at Primal Gear Unlimited to produce a quality, dependable product, but we also have pride in employing local people, and producing a product entirely made in the USA. The Compact Folding Survival Bow model 1, CFSB-1 for short, is manufactured locally. The riser is machined from T-6 aircraft grade aluminum, so it is light, tough and strong. The fiberglass for the limbs come from an American Company, as well as the strings, and the arrows that we offer. As we expand our product line, we will be looking for products made in the U.S.A. that are quality, reliable, durable products.